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Show Lewis and Clm·ke's Expedition great quantities of beaver. Jle then went on to a s:mall r\vcr which falls into the north fork some miles above its junction with the two others: here, finding himself gl'ow more unwell, he halted fot· the night at the distance of four miles from his last encampment. Saturday 27. 'Ve proceeded on but slowly, the current being still so ra1•id as to require the utmost exertions of us all to advance, and the men are losing their strcug:h fast in consequence of tJwir constant efforts. At half a mile we passed an island, and a mile and a (}uartcr further again entered a ridge of hiJls which now approach the river with cliffs apparently sinking like those of yesterday. 'rhey arc composed of a solid limestone of a light lead colom· when exposed to the air, though when ft·cshly lu·oken it is of a deep blue, aucl of an excellent quality and very fine grain. On these cliffs were nurnbet·s of the bighorn. At two anti a half miles we reached the centre of a IJcnd towards the south passing a small island, and at one mile and a quarter beyond this reached about nine in the morning the mouth of a river seventy yards wide, which falls in ft·om the southcast. Here the country suddenly upens into extensive and beautiful meadows and plains, sut·rotmded on evet·y side with distant and lofty mountains. Calltain Lewis went up this stream for about half a mile, and from the height of' a limestone cliff could observe its cou1·se about seven miles, and the three forks of the Missouri, of which this river is one. Its extreme point bot•e S. 05° E. and during the seven miles it passes through a green extensive meadow of fine grass dividing itself into several str·eams, the largest passing ncar the ridge ofhiHs on which he stood. On the right side of the Missouri a high, wide and extensive plain succeeds to tbis low meadow which I'Caches the hills. .In the meadow a large spring rises about a qu:utet• of a mile ft·om this southeast fork, into which it dischat·ges itself on the right side about four hundred paces f 1·om where be stood. Between the southeast and middle forks a distant range Up the JJiissouri. S~5 of snow-topped mountains spread from ea~t to south above the h·rrgular bt·okcn hills nearer to this spot: the middle anti southwest forks unite at half a mile above the entrance of the southeast fork. The extreme point at which the fo1'met· can be seen, bears S. 15° E . and at the disf ance of fourteen miles, where it turns to the right round the point of a high 11lain and disap{Jears from the view. Its low grounds arc several miles in width, fot·ming a smooth and beautiful green meadow, and like the southeast fot·k it divides itself into scTcral str·cams. Between these two for·ks and neat• their junction with that from the southwest, is a position admirably well calculated for· a fort. It is a limestone •·ock of' an oblong fot·m. rising ft·om the plain perpendicularly to the height of twenty-five feet on three of its sides; t1w fourth towat·ds the middle fork being a gradual ascent and covcr·cd with a Jlne green sward, as is also the top which is level and contains about two acres. An extensive plain lies between the middle and southwest f01·ks, the last of which after watering a country like that of the othet' two branches, disallpears about twelve miles off, at a point bearing south 30° west. lt is also more divided and set·pcntioc in its course than the other two, and possesses more timber in its meadows. This timbet· con ·isis almost exclusivdy of the nat·row-leal'ed aottonwood, with an intet·mixture of box-alder and sweet-willow, the underbr·usb being thick and like that of tltc Missouri lower down. .A range of high mountains partially covet·cd with snow is seen at a considcraiJic distance 1·unning ft·om south to west, aml ncat·ly all at·ound us arc IJroken ridges of country like that below, through which those united stt'Nuns appear to have forced their passage: al'teL' observing the country ealltain Lewis descended to breakfast. 'Ve then left the month of the southeast fork, to which in honour of the secrcta.l'y of the treasul'y we called Gallatin's river, and at the distance of half a mile reached the confluence of the sou:hwcsl and Jnidtlle branch of the Missouri ~ . IIcw~ we ro~tntl the letter |